Discharge gate sealing structure



United States Patent a corporation of New Jersey DISCHARGE GATE SEALING STRUCTURE 8 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 105/282, 105/304, 105/424 Int. Cl. 861d 7/20, 861d 7/22, B6ld 7/21 Field ofSearch 105/282,

282(R), 282(RP). 304, 424

Primary Examiner- Arthur L. La Point Assistant Examiner-Howard Beltran Anorney-Eugene N. Riddle ABSTRACT: A gate structure for a hopper in which a rack is secured to the underside of the gate and an enlargedslot portion in a side of the framework supporting the gate receives the rack. Sealing means are arranged on the framework adjacent the enlarged slot portion to minimize the leakage of lading from the slot portion during discharge of the lading from the hopper. The sealing means comprises a resilient strip adjacent the enlarged slot portion and having its upper portion in contact with the underside of the rack and adapted to be received within a downwardly facing notch in the rack upon a change in the direction of travel of the gate for a reversal in the direction of flexure in the flexible strip.

Patented Oct. 6, 1970 Sheet zi wnm.

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 6, 1970 Sheet Patented Oct. 6, 1970 Sheet EFPPPPE E I mvw DISCHARGE GATE SEALING STRUCTURE BACKGROUND AND DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION When covered hopper railway cars are unloaded pneumatically, either by vacuum or a positive pressure, from a releasable discharge boot or chute connected to the lower end of a bottom discharge outlet, the pressure differential between the interior of the car and the atmosphere effects a substantially I greater leakage of lading from openings or the like as the lading tends to be blown out any openings to atmosphere. In the employment of gravity gates having racks secured to the underside of the gates, openings must be provided in the gate support structure to receive the racks. Such openings provide an area in which the lading leaks or is blown into atmosphere during pneumatic unloading of the lading.

The present invention provides an effective sealing means for minimizing the leakage of any lading from the openings provided for the racks on the underside of the gravity gate. Also, the contamination of the racks by lading will be minimized by such sealing means. The sealing means comprises a resilient strip of material, such as, for example, a resilient polyurethane strip of a thickness around one-eighth inch, secured to the gate supporting framework beneath the rack and extending upwardly in contact with the rack closely adjacent the opening in the framework for receiving the rack. The resilient strip is of a length substantially greater than the width of the rack andtends to bend upwardly along the sides of the rack for minimizing any leakage of lading from such opening.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated,

FIG. I is a top plan of a bottom outlet structure having the present invention thereon;

F IG. 2 is a side elevation of the outlet structure shown in FIG. I with certain portions broken away;

FIG. 3 is a section taken generally along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view looking generally from line 4-4 of FIG. 3 and showing the flexible strip comprising the present invention in the full open position of the gravity gate;

FIG. 5 is a section taken generally along line 5-5 of FIG. 4 and showing the gravity gate in full open position;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but illustrating the gravity gate in the fully closed position with the upper end portion of the flexible strip being received within a notch in the rack;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIGS. 5 and 6 but showing the gravity gate in a partly opened position with a plurality of notches in the rack adapted to receive the upper end portion of the flexible strip, and

FIG. 8 is a section taken generally along line 8-8 of FIG. 7 and showing the flexible strip during movement of the gate toward an open position.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of this invention a bottom discharge outlet structure is generally indicated 10 and has an upper peripheral flange 12. A superjacent hopper structure of a covered hopper railway car is partially illustrated at 14 and has a mating lower peripheral flange 16 secured to flange 12. Outlet structure 10 includes a plurality of connected end slope sheets 18 and side slope sheets 20, 22 funneling downwardly to a bottom discharge opening.

Side slope sheet 22 has an angle generally indicated 24 secured thereto adjacent its lower marginal portion. Angle 24 includes a lower horizontal leg 26 and an upper vertical leg 28. A framework generally indicated 30 is secured to the lower ends of slope sheets I8, 20, 22 and is generally rectangular in shape. Framework 30 includes a plurality of connected sides 3!, 32 and 34. A lower flange 36 about the lower end of framework 30 permits the attachment of a suitable canvas boot or chute (not shown) at an unloading site for the discharge of lading.

Side 34 has an upper support flange 38 spaced from lower leg 26 of angle 24 to form an elongate slot 40 therebetween.

Fitting within slot 40 and supported on flange 38 is a gate generally indicated 42. Gate 42 has an upturned end 43 which abuts angle 24 in the closed position of gate. 42 as shown in FIG. 6. Support ledges 44 are secured to opposed sides 32 to support gate 42 along its marginal side portions. Lugs 46 on side 31 retain gate 42 in a closed position. Guide lugs 47 on slope sheets 18 also aid in retaining gate v42 in slot 40. Secured to the underside of gate 42 are integral racks 48. A pinion shaft 50 is mounted for rotation within support bearings 52 secured between each side 32 and an adjacent support bracket 54 extending downwardly from adjacent slope sheet 18. A capstan 56 is mounted on each end of pinion shaft 50. Pinions 58 on shaft 50 engage racks 48 for moving gate 42 between open and closed positions. Stops 60 shown on the underside of ledges 44 in FIG. 1 engage detents 62 on the edge of racks 44 in the full open position of gate 42 to limit the outward movement of gate 42. To receive racks 48, side 34 and upper flange 38 are cutaway at 64 adjacent opposed sides of gate 42 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 8 to form an enlarged slot portion communicating with elongate slot 40. As shown particularly in FIG. 8 rack 48 is spaced from the inner adjacent lateral edge defining enlarged slot portion 64 and the adjacent edge of support ledge 44 as much as one-half inch as gate 42 may shift laterally as much as three-eighths inch during travel between open and closed positions.

Forming an important feature of the present invention, a

sealing strip generally indicated 66 is provided adjacent each enlarged slot portion 64 to minimize any leakage of lading therefrom especially during pneumatic unloading of the lading, along the sides of rack 48. A metal plate 68 is placed over the lower marginal portion of strip 66 and suitable studs 70 extending through strip 66 secure plate 68 and strip 66 to the inner face of side 34 as shown particularly in FIGS. 4 and 8. Strip 66 extends upwardly along the inner face of side 34 to the undersurface of gate 44 and has a portion cutaway at 72 to receive ledge 44. Strip 66 is of a length substantially greater than the width of rack 48 and may fit about the adjacent edge of rack 48 as shown in FIG. 8 when gate 42 is moved between.

open and closed positions and during any lateral shifting of gate 42.

Strip 66 is resilient and flexes when engaged by rack 48. A material which has been found'to be satisfactory is a cast urethane material having a thickness of one-eighth inch and a hardness of as measured by Shore A durometer and produced by Armstrong Cork Company, Industry Products Division, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. A thickness between around one-sixteenth inch and one-fourth inch and a hardness of between around 65 and would work satisfactorily. Other resilient materials having suitable elastomeric and/or plastic characteristics may be employed satisfactorily, such as Teflon or nylon.

As shown in FIG. 5, the inner end of rack 48 is spaced from the leading edge of gate 42 and when gate 42 is fully opened, strip 66 clears the inner end of rack 48. Upon a subsequent movement of gate 42 toward a closed position the inner end of rack 48 will contact strip 66 and flex strip 66 in the direction.

of movement of gate 42.

However, when gate 42 is in its closed position, strip 66 remains in engagement with the under side of rack 48 and if a reversal in travel of gate 44 is provided, strip 66 also tends to reverse its direction of flexure. To minimize the binding of strip 66 with rack 48 during a reversal of travel of gate 46 and possible tearing of strip 66, a plurality of notches 73 are provided in the underside of rack 48. As shown in FIG. 6, upon reversal in the direction of travel of gate 42 when strip 66 is positioned beneath and secured within a notch 73, the

strip 66 may easily reverse its direction of bending or flexure by contact with the surface defining notch 73 thereby minimizing binding and deterioration of sealing strip 66.

Thus, sealing strips 66 effectively minimize any leakage of lading from cutout portions 64 provided in side 34 to receive racks 48. Strips 66 may be easily secured in a minimum of time.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results obtained.

We claim:

1. A bottom outlet structure for a covered hopper railway car comprising connected outlet slope sheets funneling downwardly to a bottom discharge opening, a generally rectangular framework secured to the lower portion of the slope sheets and defining the bottom discharge opening, said framework including a plurality of connected sides with one of said sides spaced vertically from the superjacent associated slope sheet to define a longitudinally extending elongate slot therebetween, a gate supported on said framework and being received within the elongate slot for back and forth movement between open and closed positions relative to the bottom discharge opening, a rack secured to the underside of said gate and said one side having a cutaway portion receiving the rack and communicating with said elongate slot to form an enlarged slot portion, a resilient strip adjacent said enlarged slot portion, and means beneath said rack securing the lower portion of the resilient strip to said one side with a free upper portion of the resilient strip extending upwardly from said one side closely adjacent the enlarged slot portion and in contact with the undersurface of the rack to minimize leakage of lading from the enlarged slot portion during discharge of the lading from the bottom outlet structure.

2. A bottom outlet structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said rack has a downwardly facing notch extending transversely of the rack, said notch being positioned to receive the free upper portion of said resilient strip when the gate is in closed position whereby upon subsequent opening of the gate a surface defining the notch engages the resilient strip to flex the strip in the direction of travel of the gate.

3. A bottom outlet structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said rack has a plurality of downwardly facing notches spaced along the length of the rack and extending transversely of the rack, the notches being adapted to receive the free upper portion of said resilient strip when positioned over the strip whereby upon a subsequent reversal in the direction of travel of the gate the resilient strip will be flexed in the direction of travel of the gate.

4. A bottom outlet structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein in the fully open position of the gate the inner end of the rack clears the resilient strip and upon subsequent movement of the gate toward a closed position the strip is flexed by the inner end of said rack.

5. A bottom outlet structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said strip is elongate and has a longitudinal axis extending in a generally horizontal plane, the length of said strip being substantially greater than the width of the rack with marginal end portions of said strip generally positioned along the sides of the rack upon movement of the gate between open and closed positions.

6, A bottom outlet structure for a hopper comprising connected outlet slope sheets funneling downwardly to a bottom discharge opening, a generally rectangular framework secured to the lower portion of the slope sheets and defining the bottom discharge opening, said framework including a plurality of connected sides with one of said sides being angle-shaped and having an upper horizontal flange spaced vertically from the superjacent associated slope sheet to define a longitudinally extending elongate slot therebetween, a gate supported on said upper leg and being received within the elongate slot for back and forth movement between open and closed positions relative to the bottom discharge opening, a rack secured to the underside of said gate and said one side having a cutaway portion receiving the rack and communicating with said elongate slot to form an enlarged slot portion, a pinion mounted on said framework beneath the gate and engaging the rack for moving the gate between open and closed positions, a resilient strip adjacent said enlarged slot portion, and means on said one side beneath said rack securing the lower portion of said resilient strip to the inner face of said one side with a free upper portion of the resilient strip extending upwardly from said one side closely adjacent the enlarged slot portion and incontact with the undersurface of the rack to minimize leakage of lading from the enlarged slot portion during discharge of the lading from the outlet structure.

7. A bottom outlet structure as set forth in claim 6 wherein said rack has a downwardly facing notch extending transversely of the rack, said notch being positioned to receive the free upper portion of said resilient strip when the gate is in closed position whereby upon subsequent opening of the gate a surface defining the notch engages the resilient strip to flex the strip in the direction of travel of the gate.

8. A bottom outlet structure as set forth in claim 6 wherein said resilient strip is elongate and has a longitudinal axis extending in a generally horizontal direction transversely of the direction of travel of said gate, the length of said strip being substantially greater than the width of the rack with marginal end portions of said strip adapted to be positioned along the sides of the rack upon movement of the gate between open and closed positions, said strip being of a thickness between around one-sixteenth inch and one-fourth inch and having a hardness between around 65 and as measured by Shore A durometer. 

